A rough week produced more than tough results for the Portland Pirates last week, with several players needing a few days to rest and recover from nagging injuries.
That’s what they got, with a day off Sunday and then a light skate Monday.
Tuesday, it was back to work as the team prepares for another set of three games in three days against conference opponents.
“It looks like going into the game (Friday) we’ll be relatively healthy,” Pirates’ coach Ray Edwards said. “Chris Brown probably will be out and (James) Melindy will be out, but we got most of the guys who were sort of questionable should be able to go.”
The Pirates have dropped three in a row after a seven-game point streak, and have struggled to score, netting only two goals in the past three games.
“I didn’t think we generated enough chances,” Edwards said. “We were right around our goal, but we need to generate more.”
One thing that ought to help the team’s offense is the return of Gilbert Brulé, who flirted with signing in Russia before officially signing with the Phoenix Coyotes last weekend.
Also joining the team this week is veteran defenseman Rostislav Klesla, who was sent down from Phoenix early this week.
“They’re both here,” Edwards said. “Bru was really good for us when he was here, and we need him to be a good player for us, and now that he has all his contract stuff figured out, he’s a motivated player. As far as Rusty goes, this is a new situation for him, but he’s a real mature guy and he knows he’s got to get back to the NHL, and he wants to be ready when the opportunity comes.”
Despite being fifth in the division, Edwards isn’t concerned — yet.
“We don’t look at them a lot at this point,” Edwards said. “We’re not there yet. It’s right now about trying to get some consistency to our game.”
The Pirates begin the weekend against Worcester, a familiar opponent and one sharing the Atlantic Division basement with Portland. Saturday, the Pirates skate at home against Manchester before finishing the weekend at Providence on Sunday.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.